Julia Restoin Roitfeld: 'Mum Carine dressed me in vintage'

Julia Restoin Roitfeld’s new children’s collection for U.K. retailer River Island is a "blast from the past".

Art director and model Julia is the oldest child of style icon, and former editor of French Vogue, Carine Roitfeld, growing up with a wardrobe that most adults would be envious of.

Julia’s line with River Island hits shelves from October (16), and the newly-turned designer explains a lot of the inspiration came from her own childhood closet.

“She could put anything on me and I didn’t make a fuss. Although all I wanted to wear really was my Minnie Mouse costume,” Julia smiled to Britain’s ES Magazine of her mother's influence.

“My mum use to shop for me only in brocantes (vintage markets) and bought Victorian lace dresses, old Americana bits, bomber jackets. So this collection is a blast from the past for me.”

While the 35-year-old happily wore the flea market finds when she was little, as Julia hit her teenage years she started follow her own fashion path. Gone were the vintage pieces, swapped instead for an indie aesthetic.

“I had no boundaries at home, so I had nothing to push against. I only rebelled with clothing when I was 14,” she shared. “I would wear purple Doc Martens and had purple streaks in my hair, dirty jeans and baggy tops. Very Britpop. Anything that wasn’t girly or feminine. My mother hated it.”

As well as her design work, Julia has also had successful as model, posing for Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli and Lancome, and working with brands Miu Miu and Altuzarra as a graphic designer.